Poets and creative writers know it’s a way to convey a sensation without spelling it out: woosh, splat, plop… “the wind swept through the empty farm house with a whoosh , slamming the screen door behind, just as the first splats of rain plopped into the bone dry field, creating mini dust bowls as they hit.”
Some of us just can’t think of cicadas without “hearing” their shrill song in the trees. We can’t imagine an ice storm without the tinkle of glass. We can’t think of bacon without the sizzle. Even at a very young age, we are taught to moo like a cow, oink like a pig, and roar like a lion.
What do these words have in common? They sound like their meaning.
The term is “onomatopoeia” (on-o-ma-toe-pee-a) in itself, a linguistic exercise. This word usage is in its glory in comic books and graphic novels with “Pow!” “Bam!” and “Zap!” But more subtly it can infiltrate traditional story telling: “The chug of a train trailed off into the distance,” “the room was quiet except for the persistent tick-tock of an oversized grandfather’s clock, propelled by a heavy brass pendulum,” “she whispered the code in his ear and with finger to lip, hushed him to assure his silence.” How much richer these phrases are with onomatopoeia. Otherwise the train would simply disappear into the horizon, the room would be quiet, and she would have just told him the code.
Like anything, onomatopoeia can be overdone, but occasionally using it as a tool for subliminal persuasion can be effective. Imagine you’re writing a brochure for a cottage rental. This is a great time to convey the relaxing sound of water lapping on the shore… the crackle of a fireplace on a cool autumn night…the clang of a dinner bell calling guests into the massive dining hall. These words help your readers “hear” what you are saying.
Consider an automotive ad. Years ago I created one where the headline said simply, “Varoom.” I didn’t have to spell out “loud,” “powerful,” or “zero to sixty in seconds.” The meaning was clear, and I was quite sure I had hit a subliminal chord. After all, who can say the word once when you really want to go, “Varoom. Varoom.”
Think of a popular cereal known for its “Snap. Crackle. Pop.” Theories about the origin of the phrase differ. But imagine how boring and cumbersome it would be to say “this elliptical rice cereal makes noise when milk is poured on it.”
How can onomatopoeia apply to workplace? “Shhh. No talking in the library.” “Please wait for the beep.” “Kindly knock before entering.”
Check out examples-of-onomatopoeia.com for a good selection of auditory phrases and see how they’re used in speech and song.
Tags: Onomatopoeia, parts of speech, persuasion, word choice
Categories: Creativity, Tips